Overbite

[Colin Driscoll]

I was experimenting with my Canon 100-400 II and 2x extender III since I can't see myself ever getting an 800 mm prime. So this is a Crested Pigeon with quite an overbite. 5D3 100-400 @ 400 plus 2x (800 mm) on a mono pod with Giotto ball head. Manual focus Tv 1/200 f25 iso 1000. Cropped from horizontal about 60%.

[Daniel Cadieux]

Apt title. Good portrait as far as comp goes. Nice BG. Mottled light a bit unfortunate. I do find the subject looking soft. Is f/25 a typo?

[Ihtisham Kabir]

Well you nailed it pretty well, including the entire crest in the frame. Great specimen. The white area outside the neck needs burning in. I too notice the softness in eyes and beak. Perhaps some localized sharpening? The whole image could probably use a tiny bit of contrast. Thanks for sharing. Ihtisham

[Colin Driscoll]

Is f/25 a typo?
That's the 2x converter, in camera f values are shown doubled, so around f12. Your comment on the mottled light is interesting as that's something I quite like with just the face highlighted. As for sharpness, I need a fair bit of practice at manual focus.

[Arthur Morris]

Recipe for unsharp images: use a monopod while focusing manually. Good try but the bird top of the bird's beak near the face is a mess. The 2X III TC on sturdy tripod focused manually is deadly sharp... But ditch the monopod. I am very confused by your comment on the aperture. No reason to not be at f/11, f/13 at most. artie

[Colin Driscoll]

I am very confused by your comment on the aperture
Artie, the camera is reporting the effective f-stop with the converter added, so from 11 up for the 100-400 and 5.6 up for the 70-200 f2.8 and Exif reports the same.
Thanks for the advice re mono and tripod.

[Gerhard Weldhagen]

This bird still looks good for its age, that worn out beak tells the story well.

[Arthur Morris]

Artie, the camera is reporting the effective f-stop with the converter added, so from 11 up for the 100-400 and 5.6 up for the 70-200 f2.8 and Exif reports the same.
Thanks for the advice re mono and tripod.

Colin. I am still confused. I have used the 5DIII with the 100-400 II and the 2X III. It reads f/11 unless you stop down...

As for the monopod, thanks for understanding that you cannot hold it still enough when manually focusing to create a sharp image unless you are mega-gifted... a

[Colin Driscoll]

It reads f/11 unless you stop down..
Correct, so when set at speed priority Tv as the speed is lowered the f-stop automatically increases to compensate.
The point of all of this is that I am off to Vanuatu in a couple of weeks and am trying for a compromise between versatility and baggage weight! Am now thinking of getting a 300 f2.8.

[Arthur Morris]

Correct, so when set at speed priority Tv as the speed is lowered the f-stop automatically increases to compensate.
The point of all of this is that I am off to Vanuatu in a couple of weeks and am trying for a compromise between versatility and baggage weight! Am now thinking of getting a 300 f2.8.

I finally understand. No need to stop down past f/13 in this situation as long as you are on a sturdy tripod. a